Perry Jones III returning to Baylor

[midwayhorn]

I am surprised.

 

[Third Coast]

Very surprised, but I do salute him. Most considered him a lottery pick, possibly top five.

 

[musubi]

It's hard, as a Texas fan, to watch guys like Sullinger, Henson, Zeller all indicating a desire to return to school. One could reconcile such news with the idea that programs like Carolina and Ohio State are big time programs that help convince stud underclassmen to remain in school a bit longer.

Then, there's the news that Jones is choosing to return to Baylor. If a program like freaking Baylor can convince a Top 5 talent like Jones to come back for another year...and UT loses Thompson...

 

[Joe2005]

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[Bob in Houston]

musubi, with Sullinger and Jones at least, you're talking about guys who aren't risking falling in the draft by avoiding the potential lockout. At this point, Thompson is not polished and keeps moving up higher-ranked players keep going back to school. He might slide back next year.

At least, that's the difference as far as I am concerned.

 

[musubi]

Joe2005,
When a coach advises a player regarding leaving early or not, it's a combination of several factors. It's draft position in the upcoming draft. It's draft position this year relative to projections of next year's draft. It's draft position relative to current skill level versus projected skill development and maturity. And, somewhere in there is the factor of whether the coach wants the player back.

I think coaches can find their evaluations at odds with those of players/player advisors. Drafts are an inexact science and hindsight reveals just as many missteps in evaluation/advice as not.

In Thompson's specific case, we're talking about a tweener PF who is a great athlete lacking in some very necessary basketball skills. If Tristan is projected in the Top 10, with no low post moves and a terrible shooting stroke...I think his draft stock improves with some development in those areas.

Even if it doesn't improve his draft stock, developing those skills improves the prognosis for a long, successful career. The difficulty of developing those types of skills, especially as a young big, while riding the bench on an NBA lottery team is documented. The travel, the lack of teaching practices, the lifestyle and distractions. For a player with potential, it should be more than a money grab. It should be about maximizing a career.

Now, if he or Barnes lacks confidence in their collective ability to develop those skills with another year, then yes, leaving now is a great call. If Thompson comes back and gets hurt, then yes, in hindsight leaving now would have been a great call. The main point I'm making, in response to yours, is that a player and coach can arrive at different conclusions about whether a player should leave early, while valuing the exact some things.

 

[musubi]

Bob in Houston,
I agree about the potential lockout impacting some decision-making right now. I also can see your point about Jones's draft position not falling. He'll still be an athletic, skilled, 6'11" PF.

I'm not sure about Sullinger, though. He's listed at 6'9" and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he measured shorter than that. He's very skilled, but he's not an elite athlete and he's going to have to fight weight issues throughout his career. He could easily turn into a Robert Traylor and, if so, he'd be better off coming out this year.

 

[Texasjeremy]

This has a lot to do with the impending lockout. He would be better served by playing another year in the Big 12 than he would going overseas next year.

 

[musubi]

Harrison Barnes now also returning to Carolina next year, per ESPN. Like I said, the circumstances under which UT loses isn't particularly unique to other programs, yet many of those other programs have their guys returning. Thompson, according to the last report I read, is still considering things...so it's not a "done deal" as far as him leaving goes. At least there's that.

 

[Dames33]

NYT Magazine did a full profile of the Perry Jones during the spring.

I know this stuff can be sensationalized but it paints him in a very interesting light:

www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/magazine/mag-13Player-t.html

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[Bob in Houston]

That was pretty clear in the way he played this season. He didn't demand the ball often. As Bob Knight might have said, he was someone that things happened to, not someone who made things happen.

Even so, he had basically the same stats as Tristan Thompson, who was B12 FOY.